


Just one smile

by unbelvisoo



Category: NCT (Band), SM Rookies
Genre: F/M, JaeHina, JaeNa
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-03-14 08:51:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,892
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13586595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unbelvisoo/pseuds/unbelvisoo
Summary: Everybody knows that Gong Hina has a huge crush on Na Jaemin.





	1. Chapter 1

  
Everybody knows that Gong Hina has a huge crush on Na Jaemin.

Na Jaemin, the 'superstar' of the school. With good looks, ranks first in school academics and has all kind of skills including sports like badminton and swimming. He even participated in school festivals in where he sang and danced along with his other classmates. There was even a rumour that several entertainment companies like SM and JYP tried to cast him because of his looks and talents. All the girls want him while all the boys wanted to be like him.

Just say his name and everyone knows him so it's no surprise that at least half of the female population in the school likes him, including Hina.

Hina first saw Jaemin during their first year in school when she was walking past the room next to theirs. Jaemin was standing in front of the door of their classroom, talking to one of his classmates which name Hina later found out as Donghyuck. Such words like 'wow' and 'daebak' came out from her mouth the moment she saw him. Hina was sure that she was not the only one who was stunned after seeing him. All her friends later on told her that they liked Jaemin too.

It's too bad that they are not classmates but Hina and her friends would always walk past their classroom in order to see him. Sometimes, they would ask one of Jaemin's classmate to take a picture of him using their phones. During Valentine's day, they would give him chocolates and letters.

In their third year, Hina became classmates with Jaemin. Because of that, Hina's feelings for Jaemin grew even more. New semester means new classmates so they created a new group chat room and she was able to add Jaemin as her friend in _Katalk_. Although they aren't that close, everybody knew that she liked Jaemin because of how she and her friends behaved before when he was around. Her classmates would tease her.

Hina got to know him more when they became classmates. Turns out, he wasn't really that _tsundere_ type of guy. Jaemin can be mischievous especially when he's around with Donghyuck. They would always joke around and he would do aegyo when his classmates asked him to.

When Hina found out that Jaemin's favorite was the custard bun in front of their school, she would always buy one for him every day. She would happily greet him 'Good morning' and will give him his favorite custard bun. At first, Jaemin would shyly decline it but Hina would insist. It became her daily routine every day.

Later on, Jaemin would thank him through _Katalk_. "Thank you for the custard bun but you don't really have to do that"

"Ah, don’t worry! I'm actually close with the vendor so she would always give me one every day. I know you liked it and since I don't really like custard bun, it would be rude for me to decline it, right? So I'll just give it to you" She replied, but it was actually a lie. She wasn't really that close to the vendor and she actually like custard buns.

"Is that so? Okay then!" Jaemin answered.

Every day, Hina would send a morning greeting to him before she prepares for school. Jaemin would always reply back. They grew close because of that.

"Hina, aren't you tired of doing that?" Herin, one of Hina's friends asked her one morning. "Look at you, buying custard bun every day for him. I'm so sure he's sick of it already"

"I don't think so? If he's sick of it I think he'll tell me" Hina answered back.

"What if he's too shy to tell you, or you are insisting that's why he couldn't tell you?" Herin replied back.

Hina looked at her friend, and contemplated. "Well, I'm not sure about that"

"How about this, give him one today and then let's hide somewhere and see if he's eating what you're giving to him?" Herin suggested.

"Okay, let's try that"

When they entered the classroom, Hina greeted her classmates and headed towards Jaemin who was talking to one of their classmates. "Good morning, Jaemin!"

"Oh, Hi Hina!" Jaemin greeted back.

And like the usual, Hina gave the custard bun to Jaemin. He put the bun inside his bag and told her that he'll eat it later.

"See! I told you he's sick of it already" Herin whispered when they reached their table.

"Hey! He said he'll eat it later" Hina said. Deep down she was thinking that maybe Herin was right.

When the bell rang, Hina was about to drag Herin to the school's cafeteria when Herin pulled her behind a wall in the corridor. "Let's see first what he'll do to the custard bun you gave to him"

And so Hina and Herin hid behind the wall. Jaemin went out and handed the custard bun to Donghyuck.

"What!? You're making me eat this again?" Donghyuck complained. "Just tell her that you don't want this anymore"

Jaemin laughed. "You tell her then"

Hina would be lying if she said she wasn't hurt. They went straight to the cafeteria but Hina didn't eat her lunch despite Herin forcing her to. "Ah, I think I did a mistake. We shouldn't have done that"

"It's alright. At least I know now" Hina replied. She rested her head on the table and watched the students at the cafeteria eat their lunch.

"Hina! I think your favorite ramyun is available! Should I buy you one?" Herin tried to convince her friend to eat but Hina just shook her head.

Hina rested her head on the table again, facing the other side. There was Jaemin along with Donghyuck and other boys from different class sharing the same table.

A moment later, some female students from different class entered the cafeteria as well. The boys on the other table began cheering loudly which caught Hina and other student's attention. There was Lami, one of school's beauty walking, trying to find a seat along with her other friends.

"Lami! Lami! Look! Jaemin wants you to sit here!" Chenle, one of the boys in the table spoke. The boys began laughing loudly while Lami and her friends started to giggle. It’s pretty obvious that Lami likes Jaemin, and it seems that the feeling are mutual for the two of them. It was one of the rumours for a long time already. They said Jaemin actually liked the school beauty, Lami and they have been talking for a long time already but Hina never saw them together.

When Hina got home, instead of checking her phone, she went straight to bed. She wasn't actually sleepy but she felt like her body is too tired to move. She didn’t even bother to change into pyjamas and went straight to bed wearing her uniform. She fell asleep after some minute.

Her phone alarm woke her from her sleep. She didn't even realized that she fell asleep. She turned off her phone and saw no message or notification from anyone, specifically from Jaemin. It dawned her that she was always the one who would send morning greetings to him, and not the way around. It's useless now to expect any messages from him because she's the one who is trying to make a conversation between them. She's the one who was willing to give him his favourite custard bun every morning although he didn't ask her to. She was always the one who's doing everything so it felt wrong to expect anything back because in the first place, it was her fault.

Days have passed and Hina stopped sending messages to him. She also stopped buying custard buns for him. Since they're still classmates, it's inevitable for them to meet every day. Jaemin would greet her and she would smile at him. Hina tried to distract herself by studying hard for her upcoming college entrance exam. Everyone was busy studying because they're about to graduate. She wanted to study in Seoul, and her parents are supportive enough to let her study in Seoul if she passed her entrance exam.

Hina also gained a friend online through an online game. It was a male with same age as her, and studying in Seoul. He also preferred to be called J. Although she doesn't know the real name of the person she was talking with, the boy told her that he would love to meet her once she arrives in Seoul. They have been talking for several months already so she thought it would be a good idea to meet him.

Months later, she received a letter from Seoul University, informing her that she passed the entrance examination. Graduation is just a few days away.

She heard some news that Jaemin got accepted in several universities in Seoul as well but he was considering studying abroad.

On the day of the graduation, Hina bid farewell to her school friends including her best friend Herin. Some of her classmates will be studying in Seoul as well but all of her friends will be left behind here.

"Why didn't you told us earlier! We should throw a party!" Herin said, hugging her friend Hina.

"I need to go to Seoul in three days because we need to find a dorm close to the school" Hina answered regretfully.

"That's not going to stop us! We should celebrate before you leave" Herin spoke. "Don't worry, I'll prepare everything for you"

And so Herin prepared a small goodbye party for everyone. Most of their classmates including Jaemin were present. They had dinner and went to sing in a nearby karaoke room.

Hina was busy playing games on her phone when she felt someone sat beside her. When she looked up, it was Jaemin.

"I heard you got accepted in Seoul University?" Jaemin spoke. He flashed a smile which caught Hina off guard.

"Ahh… yes…" She barely let out those words but she thanked god for that.

"Congratulations Hina!" He replied cheerfully and Hina nodded at him. "I wish you all the best"

"Thank you" Hina answered. They sat in silence. It was an awkward silence, like one of them has to speak up.

Hina thought that it would be best if she excuse herself to the comfort room so she could escape from the awkward moment that they are having but Jaemin was about to speak when suddenly Donghyuck called Jaemin. "Yah, you should sing!"

Donghyuck handed the microphone to Jaemin and he stood up, choosing the song that he will sing. Hina stood up as well and excused herself to the comfort room. She stayed there for a moment. Jaemin has been really kind to her before. Although she knew that Jaemin was fully aware that she liked him, he still treated her as a friend so she felt bad for treating him differently from before.

After a few minutes, Hina walked out from the comfort room with Herin waiting in front of the karaoke room. "I thought you left already!"

"I was talking to someone over the phone" Hina lied.

"We're about to leave! Oh, but before that let's go inside first" Herin said, pulling Hina back to the karaoke room. When they entered, they noticed that her classmates aren't singing anymore.

"Okay, so since most of our classmates are going to continue their education in Seoul and abroad, let's give them some messages!" Donghyuck said over the mic. Hina as well as their classmates groaned.

"I hope no one cries" Renjun, one of their classmates spoke.

Donghyuck began, since he was holding the mic. "For everyone, I wish you all the best! As for me, SM Entertainment invited me to audition in the company so you should get my autograph now before I become famous!"

Everyone in the room jokingly groaned. "Yah! In your dreams!"

Donghyuck handed the mic to his classmates. They began exchanging words of encouragement while Hina desperately tried to find a way so she could leave.  
Later on, the mic was handed to Jaemin. Everyone cheered.

"Why did no one cheered when I spoke!?" Donghyuck complained and everyone laughed.

"Well, I don't know what to say but thank you for the memorable night" Jaemin began.

Hina looked up and their eyes met. She felt like her heart skipped a beat.

"I…. I also want to say that I-" Jaemin was cut off when the a lady entered the room.

"Kids, your time is over now!"

"We'll extend for another hour!" Jisung, one of their classmates spoke.

"No extensions. There are other people waiting outside" The lady spoke. Everyone in the room sighed loudly.

They walked outside and bid each other farewell. Who knows it might be the last time that they'll be seeing each other? Hina hugged her friends and promised to contact them once she reaches Seoul.

"Aren't you gonna say goodbye to Jaemin?" Herin whispered, her arm clung into Hina's arm.

Hina looked at Jaemin who was laughing while talking to their classmates. She wanted to approach him and apologized for ignoring him. "I don't know if I should"

"You should!" Herin retorted.

"But we already talked ah while ago" Hina answered back.

"Ah, really? Well, if you two already did, should we go home now?" Herin asked, looking around. Most of their classmates bid farewell to them already. Hina waved at them.

"My parents will fetch me. They’ll be here anytime soon. I texted them already" Hina said, holding her phone. "Do you want to go home with us?" She asked Herin.

"Oh don’t mind me. I can go home with Goeun unnie!" Herin answered and called Goeun.

Hina watched her classmates walked away. She waved at them and as soon as they are out of her sight, she unlocked her phone. There was a message from her friend, J.

"How was the graduation day?"

Hina thought of what would be the best reply. "It was good! We had a goodbye party just now"

"Wow that's nice! I wish we had one too!"

Hina's eyebrow raised. "Eh? You didn't have party with your classmates?"

"Yep, sadly"

"Don't worry! I wasn't planning on having one too but it was my friend's idea since I'll be leaving soon"

"Sounds reasonable. I guess we don't need to have a party since my classmates and I will meet again here in Seoul. LOL"

Hina laughed. She was about to type her reply when she felt a presence on her side.

"Waiting for someone?" Jaemin asked. His hands were on his pockets.

Hina nodded. "My parents. They’ll fetch me.. How about you?"

"I'm waiting for someone as well" Jaemin smiled.

Hina realized that this is the right time to apologize to him. Right now it's just her and him.

"Jaemin.. I would like to say something" Hina spoke softly, her eyes looking at the ground. "I actually want to apologize". When she looked up, she saw Jaemin's eyes expecting her to continue. Hina was about to continue when she was cut off with the sound of the car horn. Her parents have arrived.

"Oh, there's my parents already" Hina spoke. "But yeah, I'm just sorry for everything!"

Hina didn't wait for his reply anymore. She immediately got inside of their car. For the rest of the night, she was left wondering how he looked like when she said those words. 'He must be confused' she thought. Although she wanted to leave at least a message to him, when they were on their way to Seoul, her phone went missing. Unfortunately, even her friends, she was not able to get their numbers when she arrived in Seoul.

 

 

Seoul was livelier than what she have imagined, Hina thought.

It has been months already since she arrived in Seoul. In the first few days, her parents stayed in Seoul as well. She also worked part-time at the nearby convenience store for her free time while waiting for the new semester to start. They were able to find a dorm near the university.

Hina and her online friend J continued to talk when she arrived in Seoul. Turns out that he will be studying at Seoul University like her. When Hina found out, she suggested that they should meet soon. J also agreed but told her that he will inform her once he finishes his application.

The semester just started a few days ago and Hina was still adjusting to her university life. Thankfully, her new roommate Myungeun was kind enough to answer all her questions about the university. Myungeun is actually her sunbae since she's a year older than her and a sophomore in the university. "You can ask me anytime"

It was another dreadful day. Every day she need to ride a bus to get into her university because that is the fastest way she can get there although walking can be fine too. But that day the weather was gloomy, hinting an upcoming rain so Hina decided that she will just take the bus instead.

She was sitting at the back, eyes closed and earphones on when she felt the seat sunk as another person took the vacant seat beside her. When she looked at the person beside her, her eyes widened in surprised.

"Jaemin!?"

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

"Jaemin!?"

Hina immediately recognized the face of the person seating beside her. She couldn't be wrong. She felt like her heart skipped a beat. Just like her, Jaemin was wearing an earphones as well. She noticed that he was still using the same grey backpack before but his hair was styled up, which made him look manlier than before. He was even more handsome than before, she noted. Thankfully, she wore her new dress today.

Jaemin, in return, smiled at her, flashing his perfect white teeth. "I thought you wouldn't recognize me anymore"

"I… really…" Hina tried to compose a sentence but failed.

"What a small world" Jaemin said, he removed his earphones from his ear and put it back on his bag.

Hina was still looking at him. "How… why are you here?"

He chuckled. "You mean, here beside you or here in Seoul?"

She doesn't even know why did she said that but hesitantly nodded anyway.

"Well, I've decided to study here in Seoul instead. You know, I don't want to live alone abroad" Jaemin let out a small laugh while Hina looked at him in confusion. She remembered that everyone said that Jaemin will be studying abroad so she didn't really expect him to be in Seoul, beside her to be exact.

"Ah" She replied simply. Hina felt like butterflies were dancing on her stomach. It reminded her of the first time she saw him. When she looked around, she realized that there are actually vacant seats at the front so she wondered why did Jaemin chose to sit beside her.

_'Silly! Don't think too much'_

"Seoul University, right?" Jaemin inquired. He was still smiling and Hina desperately wanted to smack his head for smiling too much.

"Ahh.. yes" She muttered under her breath.

"Well guess what?" Jaemin briefly said. He unzipped his jacket, revealing an ID lace from Seoul University. "We're schoolmates!"

Hina was still confused but nodded anyway. She felt her face reddened and her cheeks hot. She wanted to ask more question but stopped herself from doing so. Instead, she removed her earphones as well and locked her phone.

Jaemin seemed to notice her. "Oh, new phone?"

"Ah, yes, just bought recently" Hina answered. "My old phone got stolen so.."

"No wonder you didn't reply.." He replied, and then continued, "..in the group chat. Herin was worried"

"I don't have anyone's number except my parents and my roommate so she must be really worried that I didn't send any message. I was kind of busy too.." Hina said regretfully. It was true though. When she arrived in Seoul, she decided to work part-time in a convenience store near her dorm so she could buy a new phone instead of asking money from her parents. After all, her parents already spent a lot of money after sending her to Seoul.

"Do you want me to.. add you in the group chat or?" Jaemin asked thoughtfully and Hina nodded right away.

"Yes please. I think I need to contact Herin right now" Hina replied with a smile. Jaemin nodded and pulled out his phone. She noticed that his phone wallpaper was a selca from a girl but Jaemin's fingers were really fast that she wasn't able to get a good look. It must be Lami, or his girlfriend, Hina thought. True, she used to like him before but Hina realized that she's not someone Jaemin would want. She decided to brush off the thought. They exchanged numbers and Hina immediately sent a message to Herin.

"You still like him?" Jaemin asked suddenly, and if Hina didn't follow his gaze, she wouldn’t know what he was referring to. Jaemin pointed out the boy in her phone wallpaper.

"Ahh, Eunhyuk oppa… of course" Hina answered shyly. Her lips formed a small smile. She remembered the time where every girls in their classroom went crazy when Super Junior made a comeback after a long time before. She even declared to the whole class that Eunhyuk is her husband and no one can choose him anymore.

Jaemin smiled in return. Hina shifted her vision to outside the window and realized that they have arrived at the entrance of the university gate. When they got down, Hina excused herself, saying that she's already late. Jaemin waved his hand and muttered something like _"See you around"_ Hina didn't actually heard him clearly since she left almost immediately after she said her good bye.

When her last class ended, she decided to buy dinner on her way home so she wouldn't have to go out later. It was only 4 in the afternoon and staying at the dorm would be boring since her roommate Myungeun already told her that she will not go home.

On her way home, Hina felt her phone vibrated on her pocket. She instantly thought it would be a reply from Herin but instead received a message from J telling her that he's done with school application now. Hina thought that it was still early for her to go home so she tried her luck to ask him if he's free right now.

Instantly, she received a reply from him. Fortunately, he was still around the campus so Hina decided to meet him in front of the library since that's the only place Hina is confident that she wouldn't get lost finding. Hina arrived first. J apologized to her and Hina thoughtfully instructed him on how to get there.

She was busy typing on her phone when she felt a hand on her shoulder. When she looked back, a boy wearing specs with his hair down greeted her with a smile. Hina swore to God that her eyes shone in admiration when the boy smiled at her. Not only his lips curved into a smile but his eyes as well. He was so handsome that Hina almost got nosebleed by having her eyes on him.

"You must be Hichan?" The boy spoke and Hina let out a small laugh, realizing how it  sucks her username was. "I'm Hina"

His smiled did not waver at all. "I'm Jeno"

"Jeno?" Hina echoed back and Jeno nodded. "From the faculty of Political Science"

 _'Political Science? He must be really smart?'_ She thought. "I'm from Communication Arts."

"Oh! You must be talented!" Jeno snapped. Hina immediately shook her head.

"Not really. Just Film major" She replied. The two of them smiled and decided to grab dinner together. Hina placed the dinner she bought for herself ahwhile ago inside her bag. Jeno recommended a small restaurant few blocks away from the campus. He happily informed her that he will pay in which Hina declined first.

They both ordered Kimchi stew and Samgyeopsal. Inside the restaurant, there's only her and Jeno and a lady at the counter. While waiting for their orders, they recalled how they first got to know each other.

"I don't remember that much but there was tournament at that time, right?" Hina tried to recall and Jeno nodded. "I kinda needed a partner to finish a task so I asked for your help"

"That's right" Jeno nodded in agreement. "And in exchange, you also helped me finish a task"

Hina smiled. "And that's it. We just started talking"

It was the time when Hina was trying to distract herself after she found out that Jaemin doesn't really eat the custard buns she bought for him. Thinking about it now, Hina thought that it was lame for her to act that way. She felt like a lovesick puppy getting rejected by her owner. Deep down, she felt like it was an indirect way for Jaemin to reject her feelings for him.

Jeno was really kind. She remembered she was desperately trying to finish a task but she needed more weapons to finish it. Unfortunately, she doesn't have the necessary weapons needed to complete it so she tried to look for someone who could help her. Thankfully, at that time, he was online so setting aside her pride, she asked a stranger to help her. Thankfully, he was kind enough to help her. Now that she's sitting on the same table with him, she realized how lucky she was to be able to meet such guy. Tall, handsome, seems smart and kind.

"Are you alright?" Jeno asked. Hina snapped back to reality and smiled at him. "Yes. I just remembered something"

Hina noticed that it looked like Jeno wanted to ask so she spoke. "Just something about a guy"

"A guy?" Jeno asked and Hina nodded. She was about to speak when the little bell above the door of the restaurant chimed, signalling new customer. There were two boys and Hina was left stunned again.

"Auntie! The usual" The first boy, the one wearing a red cap who entered first spoke, and the lady at the counter nodded. The two was scanning the place to find a table when their eyes stopped at Jeno and Hina's table.

"Oh. Jeno!" The boy wearing a red cap pointed out Jeno and Jeno immediately stood up and bowed his head. Hina noted that he must be a sunbae. "Ah, you just enrolled today and you're already on a date with a girl?"

Jeno shook his head and smiled in embarrassment. "Ah, Mark hyung don't be like that"

"Oh by the way Jaemin, this is Jeno. He's the same age as you" The boy nudged Jaemin who was standing behind him. The two bowed their heads and the boy, which name was Mark laughed. "Don't be so awkward"

Hina and Jaemin's eyes met and she tried to flash a smile. She felt shy thinking that Jaemin must have thought that she's actually on a date with someone. His expression was actually unreadable. Both Jeno and Mark seemed to have noticed the two.

"Do you two know each other?" Mark inquired.

Hina was about to speak when Jaemin cut her off first. "Yes hyung. Actually, she was my classmate before… and she's someone I like"

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

After hearing those words, Hina's eyes stared at Jaemin in bewilderment. Her face immediately flushed red while Jaemin's aura remained calm. How can Jaemin say such thing? For all she knew, he wasn't interested in her in the first place.

"He's jo-" She was cut off when Jaemin spoke.

"….someone I like as a _dongsaeng_ "

Of course. That's it. Just a younger friend.

"How can you even joke with a serious face?" Mark scoffed. Jaemin mumbled something but Hina didn't actually understood what it was. No one except her seemed to care anyway. The two decided join the round table with Hina and Jeno, making the little space feel more cramped. Jeno had to move beside Hina to give space for the others. In the end, Hina sat in between Jeno and Jaemin. Minutes later, the old woman also served the food that was ordered by them.

Hina ate in silence, thinking whether she should speak. The boys, especially Jeno and Mark were engaged in their conversation while Jaemin was eating silently as well. She noticed that he was being unusually quiet right now. Before during lunch breaks, she would often see him along with his friends at a table eating their lunch. He was talkative and always had that smile that never leaves his face. Right now he's just, eating quietly.

Hina didn't even realized that she was staring at Jaemin until Mark spoke. She cleared her throat and continued eating. "Hina-sshi, from what faculty are you?"

"Communication Arts, Film major" She replied with a smile.

"I'm from Political Science, just like these two here" He answered back, nudging the two boys beside him.

"Jaemin too?" she asked in disbelief.

With the mention of his name, Jaemin raised his eyes to look at her. "You sounded like you couldn’t believe I'm taking up Political Science"

She realized what he was referring to and quickly apologized. Jaemin looked at her with a hint of a smile forming on his face.

"But seriously, Jaemin, I thought you are considering KAIST? I was shocked when Lami told me that you are going to study here" Mark sounded really surprised. ”But it's better.. We now have lots of handsome boys in the faculty"

 _Lami? So Mark knew Lami as well?_ Hina thought.

"And how about you two, how did you even get to know each other?" Mark asked. Hina looked at Jeno first before she answered.

"We're online friends"

" _Hul_. Is cyber dating still a thing?" Mark jokingly asked, earning a slight slap on his arm from Jeno. In the end, Jeno explained how they got to know each other through a game. Mark seemed to have understood the situation and later on changed the topic to a new game that was released recently.

When they finished eating, Jeno gladly paid all the food that was ordered including Mark and Jaemin. The older male thanked Jeno for the treat. "As expected, from our Jeno". Hina felt guilty and offered to pay half but Mark just told her that Jeno's daily allowance is worth his monthly allowance. She thought that Jeno must be rich.

It was already dark outside and just like any other day, the weather felt cold.

"You should join us this coming Saturday. We're having a small party. Jeno and Jaemin will be there. You know, some Political science students" Mark declared. Hina thought of the things she needed to finish by Monday. A reaction paper about her favorite movie and some test papers that needs to be answered. As much as she would love to come, when she was about to decline the offer, Mark cut her off.

"No alcohols and drugs! And also, I'll bring some girls so you won't feel alone"

Left with no choice, Hina agreed to the plan. Today was Wednesday. Meaning to say, she have three days left excluding Saturday to finish the things she need. They exchanged numbers and Mark instructed Jeno to accompany Hina since she's still not familiar of the outskirts of Seoul.

They all exchanged goodbyes but before they left, Jeno offered to walk her home but she reassured him that she will be fine on her own. When Jeno and Mark left first, Hina and Jaemin ended up walking together since they have the same route home.

The two walked quietly side by side. Sometimes she would glance at him, checking whether she should speak but in the end decided to just keep quiet. She tried to distract herself by pulling out her phone from her pocket to thank Jeno for his time and the treat today. Just when she was about to hit the send button, a pair of hands pulled her.

She was facing Jaemin now, and his hands were still on her arms.

"Hina. You should come this Saturday, okay?"

He was staring at her, expecting for an answer.

"Of… of course, I will. I already told them" She stammered. Jaemin slowly removed his hands from her and spoke.

"I have something to tell you so you must come"

Hina noticed that his voice sounded so serious so instead of answering, she only nodded in response. She later realized that she was already few steps away from the entrance of her dorm.

"I.. I think I have to go.. now" She said and immediately walked past him. She didn't even dare to look back and quickly ran to the stairs. Thankfully, her room is located in the second floor. When she arrived in front of the door of her dorm, she breathed heavily and rested her back on the wall beside the door. She couldn't help but think what is it that he wanted to tell her.. and why it must be on Saturday? Brushing off the thoughts, she quickly pulled out the door key from her bag and entered inside.

 

 

It was already 11 in the evening and Hina was still twisting and turning on her bed. She realized many things happened today including the unexpected meeting with Jaemin and Jeno. She wondered why did Jaemin chose to study in Seoul University when she heard Mark said that he was considering KAIST as well. Also, the thought of Lami knowing Mark and even telling him that Jaemin is going to attend Seoul University bothered her more. How come they both know each other?

Hina gave up thinking and sat up. She took her phone from the drawer beside her bed and saw a message from Herin and Jeno. She quickly read the message from Herin and typed her reply. As expected, her friend was shocked to know that she doesn't have her phone anymore that's why she couldn't contact them. After Herin, she opened the unread reply from Jeno. It was just a sticker of a smiling cat, and Hina couldn't help but to smile as well. Jeno's smile reminds her of a cat.

She was about to put her phone back to her drawer when her phone vibrated. There was a new message. Eyes widen in surprise, she nervously opened the new message that was from Jaemin.

_I missed you._

The first thought that came up on her mind was: _Was it really him who sent this message?_

Hina tried to check the message again, the number was from Jaemin and it was sent just now. She reread the message again and again. Few more minutes have passed and she still kept on rolling on her bed, contemplating whether she should reply or not.

_Don't! It must be wrong sent._

Hina convinced herself. She hurriedly turned off her phone and put it back to the drawer. An hour passed and she was still wide awake, wondering what the hell did just happen. She tried to sleep by closing her eyes and covering herself with a blanket but an image of Jaemin smiling to her appeared out of nowhere.

_How can you have such charming smile!? Do you even know you're driving someone insane here!_

The next day, Hina went to school without sleep. On the vacant hours before her next class, she hurriedly went straight to the library to get some sleep. Usually, sleeping is not allowed inside the library but she have seen some students doing some techniques to not get caught sleeping so she would very much like to try it out. As soon as she found a vacant table, she pulled out some books from her bag to cover her head. Her eyes felt very heavy and she couldn't stop yawning. She rested her head on the table and just when she was about to close her eyes, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"No sleeping"

She mumbled strings of apologies and when she looked up, it was Jeno smiling at her.

"Just kidding" He said softly but still with a smile.

Hina sighed in relief and invited Jeno to sit beside her. "I really thought I got caught already"

"I guess you didn't get enough sleep last night? Pulled an all-nighter?" He inquired.

She shook her head. "I couldn't sleep at all"

"Why? Ah, you must be excited for that party? He joked.

"Hell no. I couldn't sleep because I kept think-" Hina quickly realized what she was about to say so she covered her mouth.

Jeno's eyebrow cocked in confusion. "Thinking about what? Hmm.. Don't tell me, guy again?"

"No" Hina tried to lie but Jeno, being a smart-ass knew well. She could only swallow hard.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Unsure, Hina hummed in approval.

"Do you like that guy yesterday? That Jaemin?"

Hina swore that if she was drinking something right now, she would literally choke. She looked at Jeno who was expecting for an answer. "No"

"You two looked like you have something going on" He pointed out. "And he looked like he was jealous of us yesterday"

"No way" Hina retorted. "He's got a girlfriend as far as I know"

Jeno looked unconvinced. "I don’t know if It's just me but that's my observation"

Hina rubbed her sweaty palms on her skirt, and tried not to look at the man beside her whose eyes still locked on her.

"I really think you're cute" Jeno spoke suddenly. She was surprised at his words and was unsure how to answer. Jeno noticed and he flashed a cheeky grin. "Look at you!"

Embarrassed, Hina quickly covered her face. "Let me sleep in peace"

The man let out a small laugh. "I'm sorry but yeah, go ahead and sleep. I'll be your look out"

In return, Hina thanked him and rested her head back to the table to sleep. Few minutes later she fell deep into a slumber.

Her sleep was cut off when she felt her phone vibrated on her pocket. She pulled out her phone and turned off the alarm. She noticed that Jeno was still beside her but instead of being a look out, he was sleeping as well. He looked peaceful while sleeping so Hina didn't miss a chance to take a picture of him. Not wanting to disturb, she jotted some notes in a sticky note and stuck it near his head. _'Thank you and see you around!'_ She hurriedly left the library to catch up on her next class.

When she arrived, she noticed that the classroom was empty. She even checked to see if she was actually looking at the right room. A huge message was written on the board stating that their professor will be not present. Part of her felt disappointed since she had to run from the library to the other building just to get on time but another part of her was glad that she will be able to answer the test papers given to them since she got more free time. It was supposedly her last subject for the day. Hina went straight back to the library hoping to see Jeno again but when she arrived, he wasn't around anymore. She left her bag on the same table she used awhile ago and looked around to find the books she need to answer the test paper. When she got the books needed, she went back to her table and began scanning the books for answer.

It took her an hour to finish answering the test papers. Feeling proud of herself, she decided that she will treat herself an ice cream after finishing one of the things that needs to be done. Hina quickly returned the books and left the library.

Walking on her way out of the campus, she was greeted with some of the students she met on some of her class. Film Major students like Hina doesn't really have a permanent class so she gets to be on a different class in every subject which was partly good because she met new people and a bit saddening because there are times that requires her to be alone. Thankfully, she gained some school friends already so she doesn't feel alone anymore.

As soon as she stepped out of the school entrance, she noticed a familiar figure standing in front of the gate. Some girls that were passing by would sneakily take a picture of him but he looked unbothered. He seemed to be waiting for someone. When Hina's eyes met his, his expressionless face turned into a smiling one. _What is Na Jaemin doing in front of the school entrance? Is he trying to recruit more freshmen students by displaying himself in front of the school?_ Hina felt like she need to make a few more steps to him because of his welcoming smile.When she was only a few steps away from him, he removed his earphones. "I've been waiting for you"

Hina was confused. "Waiting for me?"

"Just want to know if you want to have dinner with me"

Hina had to look around, only to see the girls around glaring at her. She looked at him again before she answered. _A simple dinner wouldn't hurt, right?_ "Yeah sure"

Hina assumed that Jaemin would take her to the same restaurant they went yesterday for dinner but he led to a different place instead. It was a few blocks away from the small restaurant yesterday and it's a smaller one.

"How did you even found this one?" Hina asked in disbelief. They both entered inside and there were no customer at all.

Jaemin chuckled. "That's a secret"

They both sat in the vacant chair close to the counter. Unlike yesterday, the menu on the restaurant are more into Japanese meals.

"You should try their beef ramen here" Jaemin suggested when he noticed her looking at the menu. "They're famous for that"

Hina nodded thoughtfully. "Okay then"

A women who looked like in her twenties went to their table to get their order. She looked at Hina first before turning at Jaemin and grinned. Jaemin, in return, smiled at the waitress and told their orders.

No one spoke when they were waiting for the food. Hina looked around the place. The interior looked vintage, and the ambiance felt homely. She noted that the next time she need quiet place to review, it'll the first place she will go to.

Moments later, the waitress came to their table with their orders.

"Let me know if you need something" She spoke, not even looking at Hina. She flipped her hair and went straight back to the counter. Hina could only look at her in disbelief.

"Aren't you tired of girls chasing you?" Hina asked quietly that Jaemin didn't almost heard.

"I don't like girls like them" He muttered.

Hina nodded but didn't dare to ask more. They began eating and Hina finally understood why Jaemin said that the small restaurant is famous for the beef ramen.

"It's delicious!" Hina spoke and Jaemin let out a small laugh.

Another woman came out from the kitchen of the restaurant wearing apron. She flashed a smile to the two and walked towards the table. Hina assumed that she was the chef.

"Did you like it?" The woman asked with a smile.

Hina, then, smiled in return. "Yes ma'am. I really liked it! I understand now why he said this restaurant is famous for the ramen"

The woman chuckled. "I'm glad you liked it. This is the first time that Jaemin brought a girl here"

Hina assumed that the woman know Jaemin. _He must be a regular here_ , she thought.

"Mom, can you bring us some more?" Jaemin spoke suddenly after finishing his bowl of ramen. He wiped his lips with a tissue and looked at the woman standing.

It took Hina a few more seconds before she realized everything. Her eyes widen is surprised.

"Mom? She's your mom!?"

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

Hina's mind was spinning with confusion.

She was thankful that she wasn't drinking water at that moment or else she'll end up spraying water everywhere.

The woman, Jaemin's mother smiled vaguely before going back to the kitchen. When Hina was certain that she's far enough to hear them, she gently hit Jaemin's arm. "You're crazy! You should have told me"

He smiled and pushed a glass of water to her.

Hina tried to remember if she have seen his mother before while gulping down the glass of water. On their graduation ceremony, as far as she remembered, his mother wasn't present. Hina recalled that only his father came up to the stage when Jaemin received an award for being an outstanding student.

"She's living here in Seoul because of this restaurant" Jaemin began. "When my grandmother died two years ago, my mother was the one who kept this restaurant alive. When she heard that I was going to study here in Seoul she was beyond ecstatic" He continued, as if he noticed that Hina was lost in her own thoughts.

"Ah" The only word that came out from her mouth, she doesn't even consider it as a word. The restaurant was starting to get crowded since it's almost dinner time. Several students entered inside and as expected, some girls would steal glances at Jaemin.

Jaemin called the waitress and asked for another glass of water after noticing that Hina's glass were almost empty. The waitress looked at her with a sceptical look before walking away.

"Do you know her?" She asked.

Jaemin followed her gaze before answering. "Not really. I think she's a new hire. Why?"

Hina shook her head. "Nothing"

"Are you jealous?"

She looked up, stunned that he dared to ask such question. "Are you crazy?"

"You didn't answer" He pressed with a smile plastered on his face.

Was she supposed to answer the question? Hina thought.  "Well, she was looking at me as if she's disappointed"

His eyebrows knitted together. "Eh?"

Hina smiled and tried to change the topic. "But really, your mother.. You should have told me!"

At the same exact moment, his mother appeared with another bowls of ramen. When she reached the table, Hina immediately stood up and bowed his head. "Mrs. Na, I'm sorry I wasn't able to address you properly awhile ago"

She flashed another smile, her laugh lines showing. "Oh dear, no need to worry. Jaemin can be a little mischievous sometimes you know"

Hina nodded in agreement. "Yes, he is" and then sat down again when his mother placed the bowls on the table. She thanked his mother before she went back to the kitchen again. She was already full with the first bowl but thinking that wasting food was a sin, she forced herself to finish the second bowl. Jaemin finished his too in no time.

After their dinner, Hina thanked his mother and promised to come back again. His mother told her that she will be more than happy to serve her. When they stepped outside, she felt the wind blew, sending chills down to her spine. Although she dressed for the cold weather in a black turtleneck shirt under a navy blue coat and a jeans, Hina couldn't help but shiver due to the cold weather. It had gotten cold already.

Jaemin excused himself from Hina and went back inside as if he left something. She waited patiently outside, checking her phone to see several messages from Herin and her mother reminding her not to forget dinner. She smiled to herself and inserted her phone back to her bag when Jaemin appeared.

He handed her a scarf and Hina seemed confused.

Still holding the scarf, he spoke. "It's getting cold so you should use this" but instead of handling it over again to her, he folded the scarf in half and draped it around her neck.

Hina was too stunned to move so she stood there like a statue while Jaemin was adjusting the knot. Deep inside, her heart was thumping unsteadily. She suddenly realized that this was the closest physical contact they made, ever.

Jaemin's lips formed a satisfied smile after putting the scarf around her neck. "Much better"

The scarf smelled amazing. It smelled like a baby cologne.

When she looked up, their eyes met. If her heart was thumping unsteadily awhile ago, this time, she felt like her heart stopped beating for a second. It took them a few seconds before Hina looked away, clearing her throat.

Jaemin, on the other hand, didn't look embarrassed at all. As if it was just a normal thing to do.

"I should go home now" Hina spoke, checking the time on her watch. She still have some undone homework. Jaemin nodded in agreement but before they leave, Hina noticed that Jaemin doesn't have his bag with him. "Aren't you going to bring your bag with you?"

"My bag? I just live right there" He answered, pointing a gate few steps away from the restaurant.

His answer left Hina confused. She remembered yesterday they walked home together after the dinner with Jeno and Mark because he said he lived close to her dorm. "But if you live here.. then the last time we went home together.. you told me that…"

"I'm not going to make you walk home all by yourself, Hina" He sounded really sincere. "If I didn't lie, you wouldn't let me walk you home"

She was still dumbfounded. "You didn’t have to do that!"

In return, Jaemin grinned at her. "You don't have to feel guilty"

"You're unbelievable" Hina muttered before walking a few steps away from him. Jaemin followed behind. She still couldn't believe that he lied to her so that he could walk her home but she couldn't help but feel giddy after knowing that he wanted to walk her home. He was truly a gentleman.

"Are you mad at me?" Jaemin asked, walking forward to catch up on her steps.

Hina looked at her with a soft smile. "Of course not. How can I be mad at you?"

Jaemin smiled back as he tried to read her expression. "I thought you'd be mad at me for lying"

"Well on that part, I think I am mad at you" Hina noted. Jaemin's brow puckered for a moment. "You don't have to lie or to walk me home. It's not that far of a walk, you know"

"Just making sure that you'll get home safe and sound" He answered simply. The two continued to walk side by side. Hina would sometimes glance at him when he's looking away.

On their walk, they talked about their high school days. Of course, Hina was careful enough to keep the memories about how she fancy him before left untouched. Their conversation was going well and she doesn't want to ruin it by bringing up that topic. She also found out that Donghyuck is in Seoul as well and is now a trainee of SM Entertainment.

"Hul. When he told us about that before, I thought he was lying"

Jaemin laughed at her. "So do I. Who would believe? Anyway, he's the reason why I met Mark hyung. They're both trainees"

"Really? That's so great. I can't believe I know at least two people who is now a trainee under SM. Next time that I meet them, I should ask them to help me get an autograph from Eunhyuk oppa" Hina said in excitement.

 

"You should ask for their autograph first! They're going to be famous someday too" Jaemin noted with a smile while Hina nodded in agreement.

"Well, you're right. Anyway, so it's because of Donghyuck that you got to know Mark right?"

He hummed in agreement. "Lami as well. She's also a trainee there"

 _'No wonder Mark and Lami knew each other'_. Hina thought.

"Ahhh really?" Hina tried to sound surprised. They became silent for the rest of the walk. They were already close and Hina could almost see her dorm building. She then suddenly remembered the text message she received from him last night and contemplated whether to ask him about it or not. When they reached the entrance of her dorm building, she took all her courage to ask him about it.

"About last night…" She began, looking down to her feet. "Did you send a message to me?"

Hina looked up and saw him staring at her. She tried to read his expression and it looked like he was unsure what to answer. Deep down, Hina wanted to run away for daring to ask him about it. _What if it wasn't him who sent that message?_

Realizing that it's taking too long for him to answer, Hina tried to change the topic before she leave. "Forget it. The message isn't that important, you know. I think it was just a spam message" and let out an awkward laugh.

"It was me" Jaemin finally confirmed. Hina looked at him as if she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"It was me" He repeated again, then continued. "Hina, I missed you"

Hina wanted to pretend that she didn't hear him but it was too clear to not hear it. He looked too serious so he's definitely not joking. Not knowing what to do, she wanted to just walk away but it would be too rude of her to do so.

"We're here already. I should get going" Hina said awkwardly, looking around so he could avoid his gaze. She started walking away and then looked back when she realized that she haven't thanked him for walking her home. "By the way, thank you"

She wasn't able to hear his reply since she already left before he could do so. When she reached her room, she immediately entered and locked the door. Myungeun, her roommate noticed her.

"Why do you look like someone was chasing you?" She commented after seeing Hina catching her breath.

Hina wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. "Oh, it's nothing"

Her roommate didn't look convinced. She stood up and walked towards the window to check the people outside the dorm. Thankfully, Jaemin wasn't there anymore. "Well, I guess you were just too excited to go home"

"Yes I am" Hina tried to sound wholeheartedly.

That night, the two ate their dinner and Myungeun was the first one who slept while Hina tried to finish her papers so she doesn't have to worry anymore. She wanted to finish it before Saturday so that she can just rest on Sunday. The party on Saturday was still being pushed through. Thankfully, Hina was able to finish the last paper but had to sleep late just to finish it.

 

Hina was tempted to ditch the rest of the class that Friday but she knew how important those subjects are so she endured the rest of the day jotting notes and listening to her professor's lecture. There were no signs of Jaemin. She wanted to return the scarf he lent her yesterday. Hina was thinking that maybe Jaemin didn't want to see her after leaving him outside her dorm yesterday. She imagined what she would say to him when they meet again but she knew herself well that she doesn't have the guts to do so.

Instead of Jaemin, Hina met Jeno and Mark in one of the university's hallway. She greeted the two with a smile and the two greeted her back.

"Done with your classes?" Jeno inquired.

Hina nodded and asked where the two were heading.

"Ah, I'm about to go home while Mark hyung is going to stay first" Jeno answered. "You're going home too, right? Let's walk together"

The two walked together towards the university gate. Some people around would glance at the two. While Jeno remained normal, Hina was definitely not enjoying the attention she was getting from the people. Jeno was absurdly handsome and there is no way people would not notice that.

"How does it feel to get all those attention from other people?" Hina asked suddenly.

His eyebrow cocked in confusion. "I don't know. I never paid attention to them"

She chuckled at his answer. "You're like Jaemin. You guys are handsome and pretends to not know about it"

Jeno looked at her and smiled. "You made it sound like we're cocky"

"But come to think of it. I think I'm lucky enough because I know at least two of the most handsome boys in this university" Hina said with a giggle.

"You're exaggerating" Jeno noted. When they reached the gate, they knew they had to part ways since both of them lived on the opposite side of the road.

Instead of going home, Hina decided to drop by on Jaemin's family restaurant so she could return the scarf back. Although she wanted to keep it, Hina needed an excuse so she could see him. When she arrived at the restaurant, thankfully, it wasn't crowded. The waitress looked up when she heard the bell rang and met eyes with Hina. Hina, on the other hand, approached the counter.

"Is Mrs. Na here?" Hina spoke, looking around while holding a small paper bag where she put the scarf.

The waitress cocked her eyebrow. Surely, she remember Hina's face from yesterday from the way she was looking at her. She looked unsure but nodded then. "I'll call her"

She entered inside the kitchen leaving Hina at the counter. Hina looked around to see if Jaemin was around.

"Oh, it's you" Mrs. Na spoke, wiping her wet hands on the apron she was wearing.

Hina, in return, bowed her head. "Good afternoon, Mrs. Na. I came here to drop this off". She handed the paper bag to Mrs. Na. "I'm not sure where Jaemin is right now but I just want to return this back. He let me borrow this yesterday". Hina explained.

"Ah, is that so? Yes I can return this back but does Jaemin know that you'll be coming?". Mrs. Na asked with a smile.

Hina shook her head. "I didn't want to disturb him but maybe I'll send a message to him later"

Mrs. Na looked dejected. "You should've told him you'll be coming. If he knew, maybe he will not leave today"

"Oh no, it's fine. I'm about to leave anyway"

"Would you like to stay and have some ramen?" Mrs. Na asked.

"I would really love to.. but maybe some other time" Hina politely declined. She didn't stayed longer and left almost immediately.

That night since Hina had free time, she opened her laptop and played the game where she met Jeno. She spent the rest of the evening playing the game until she felt her eyes heavy. There were no news about Jaemin that night. Hina wanted to ask Jeno awhile ago about Jaemin but she knew the latter would be suspicious if she does so she kept her thoughts to herself.

The next day was Saturday.

She received a message from Jeno telling her to meet him in front of the café near the university later so that they could go together. It's going to be in the afternoon so Hina had more free time to do her laundry.

"Hina, I don't think I'll be home tonight" Myungeun said while they were having their lunch. "We're going on a camping until Monday so you'll be alright while I'm gone, right?"

"Of course. You don't have to think about me, _unnie_ … but you'll have to buy me something on your way home, okay?" Hina teased with a smile.

After lunch, Myungeun left. Hina also prepared early so that Jeno won't have to wait for her anymore. When she arrived there, however, Jeno was already there waiting for her.

"How long have you been waiting?". She wondered.

Jeno raised his arm to check the time on his watch. "Just five minutes"

Hina groaned. "And I thought I'll be here earlier than you"

With a smile, Jeno patted her head. "Try again next time". He replied teasingly. The two smiled and made their way to the place. Turns out, it was only a few walks away from the university. It was a karaoke room good for at least fifteen people and there were foods on the table. When they arrived, there were at least five people inside, two girls and three boys including Mark. He introduced one of the girls with long black hair as Yiyang and the other one with shoulder length brown hair as Ningning. One of the tallest boy in the room was named Lucas while the other one with beautiful round eyes was Jungwoo.

The two sat on the end of the full table joining the others. The two girls were friendly enough to start a conversation with Hina. She found out that the girls were from the Faculty of Music. Lucas and Jungwoo also joined the conversation and told her that they're from the Faculty of Political Science as well. A moment later, Donghyuck arrived along Lami. Donghyuck was shocked when he met his former classmate so he shoved the people around Hina and sat beside her.

"It's been a long time!" Donghyuck spoke.

Hina, who was surprised to see the latter smiled at him. "I know! I didn't expect you to be here"

They talked about some stuff for a moment until the mic was handed to him, telling him to start singing. When he left his seat, Jeno sat beside her. "You know him?"

Hina then explained to him that they used to be classmates with Jaemin. Jeno seemed to be amused. At the mention of Jaemin's name, Hina wondered where Jaemin was. She wanted to ask Mark but stopped herself from doing so. _'Didn't he wanted me to come here because he have something to say to me?'_ Hina thought to herself.

Just when she was about to drink the glass of juice on her table, the door opened. Jaemin entered inside. He was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and his light brown hair was styled up, making him look even more handsome than the usual.

Hina slight smile dropped when she saw the woman after him entered inside the room. It was a girl whose face Hina have never seen before. Her arm were clung into Jaemin's arm so it's safe to assume that they are pretty close.

"'Oh, Rena, you came too" Mark sounded surprised after the two entered inside. He introduced the two to the rest of the people on the table. The woman, named Rena, was smiling from ear-to-ear. She had a beautiful figure and her hair was long dark brown. All her features were almost perfect and it's almost too depressing for Hina to look at. They sat at the other end of the table.

Donghyuck continued to sing while the others were occupied in their conversation. Jeno left to excuse himself to the bathroom so Hina moved closer to Yiyang who was sitting beside Ningning.

"I didn't know they are still a thing" Yiyang said reluctantly.

Ningning nodded and whispered something which Hina couldn't hear.

She looked at the two and asked. "Do you know her?"

"Of course. She's famous in school" Ningning spoke quietly, just enough for the three of them to hear. "And apparently, there's rumours that she's dating Jaemin"

With the way they speak towards her, Hina got the impression that these two girls doesn't really like Rena. Throughout the conversation, she would glance at the girl and felt a surge of pity towards her. Hina also overheard that most of Rena's ex boyfriends are famous in school for being handsome and it seemed that Jaemin is her next victim.

Despite all these, Hina couldn't look at Jaemin the way she used to. She doesn't know how to describe her feelings at that moment. Disappointed? Hurt? Angry? _'Why would I feel angry? It's his life he can date who he wants'_ Hina tried to convince herself but failed. Her heart felt heavy and she just wanted to leave. Jeno entered inside and noticed that she was staring at the wall blankly.

"Are you okay?" Jeno inquired.

She couldn't hear him clearly because the song was loud so he had to lean closer to her so she could hear him. Hina, who was not in the mood to speak, just nodded silently. Jeno didn't look convinced but decided to let her be.

Her mind was spinning with confusion. Hina couldn't deny the fact that she was really hurt although she doesn't have the right to feel so. In the first place, they were only friends and it was her who might have misunderstood all his actions towards her.

When she looked up, her gaze met with his. Hina noticed that his gaze held some kind of worry. Hina looked down again.

"He's staring at you" Jeno whispered to her.

She looked at him as if she couldn't believe what she heard. Jeno was looking away at her, probably looking at Jaemin. Hina didn't dare to follow his gaze. "Stop staring at him" She muttered under her breath.

Jeno looked at her and the two had a brief staring battle but was interrupted when Donghyuck, who was holding the mic, called them out.

"Yah! You two love birds, come here and sing"

Others, including the girls cheered. Hina slumped down on her seat. Singing, she was never good at that. You can force her to dance but you can't make her sing. Knowing Donghyuck, he'll probably insist them to sing until they give in but Hina was contemplating violence already if he insisted.

Thankfully, her partner knew how to read the situation. He stood up confidently earning a loud cheer from everyone. "Let me sing on behalf of her"

Hina thanked Jeno before he walked towards the Donghyuck who was still standing in front.

While Jeno was singing, Hina didn't even realized that Lami was already sitting beside her. She only realized it when the latter spoke. "Are you two dating?"

Hina's eyebrow knit together. "You mean, Jeno and I?"

Lami nodded.

Hina noticed that this was the first time they spoke to each other. Although they were schoolmates before, the two was never put in the same class so there was no chance that they knew each other. Although Hina knew Lami since the girl was popular in the school before.

To answer her question, Hina laughed without humor. "No"

Lami, in return, smiled at her as if she just heard a good news. Hina just assumed that this woman beside her have fallen on his charm. Instead of thinking it annoying, Hina thought that she was rather cute.

"I thought you liked Jaemin" Hina pointed out.

Lami looked at her as if she couldn't believe what she heard. "Well, I used to"

"Used to?" Hina noted.

With a sigh, Lami spoke. "Well, back in high school I used to like him. I'm sure you know that but well, I got rejected"

 _Rejected? How can someone possibly reject a girl like Lami?_ "Rejected?" Hina inquired again.

Although Lami doesn't look like she wanted to spill, she still answered. "I confessed and he said he liked someone"

Hina decided not to ask more questions.

Jeno lightened up the mood by choosing songs like EXID's Up and Down and Red Velvet's Dumb Dumb. Both Jeno and Donghyuck were singing and dancing in front while everyone in the room cheered. Later on, Mark and Jungwoo joined the two.

Hina didn't really want to look at Jaemin and Rena but ended up doing so. Jaemin was quiet, she noted. Knowing him, Hina was sure that he'd join the others but looking at him at that moment, his elbow was resting on the table and he was looking down. Rena, on the other hand, was watching the boys dancing with a smile that never left her beautiful face.

They continued singing until evening. When they finished, Mark thanked everyone and told them that he will be holding another gathering soon. Hina exchanged numbers with Yiyang and Ningning before leaving. She tried her very best to stay away from Jaemin and Rena as possible.

She was ready to go home when Jeno invited her suddenly to his dorm. Jeno playfully hit her head when he noticed her horrified look when he invited her. "Silly, don't think too much. I just want to eat dinner with someone"

Hina remembered that Myungeun won't be home tonight so she agreed to Jeno's invitation. They took a taxi since Jeno was already complaining that he was tired from dancing and singing and doesn't have the energy to walk. Thankfully, a taxi was already waiting in front of the building so they arrived earlier than expected.

Jeno's dorm looked spacious. He told her that he doesn't have a roommate so most of the time he's eating all by himself. Hina, in return, told him to just contact her in case he needed someone to eat with. After all, Hina knew how hard is was to be alone.

Being an only child, Hina was used to being alone especially when her parents are at work. Although her parents tried their best to not make her feel alone, there were still times that they had to leave her to a Nanny because of their work schedule. So being in Seoul on her own was as normal as her life before.

She also found out that Jeno was an only child and owned a cat named Bongsik.                                                         

They ordered their dinner through home delivery since both are too lazy to buy. It only took 30 minutes for the food to arrive. The two ate their dinner while sharing stories about each other. Hina realized that she was really lucky to have Jeno by her side. Because of him, she was able to forget Jaemin, even just for a moment.

After dinner, Jeno hailed a taxi for Hina since it was almost 9 in the evening. At first, he insisted on walking her home but of course, Hina assured him that she'll be fine on her own so they ended up calling for taxi.

The ride on her way to her dorm was faster than she thought since there were no traffic. When she was about to pay, she found out that Jeno already paid the fare and even gave extra credit. Hina smiled to herself and reminded herself to thank Jeno once she reached her dorm.

When she was about to enter in the building, she froze in her spot.

Jaemin was leaning his back on the wall beside the entrance, obviously waiting for someone. Hina, on the other hand, didn't know what she should do. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet because it would be awkward between them. She did her best to ignore him awhile ago and she was successful after doing so… but now….

At that moment, Jaemin looked up and his eyes flashed to meet hers.

She was left with no other options now. Hina decided to pull herself together and pretend that everything is normal between them. She took a small steps towards him and spoke.

"Yah, Jaemin.. What are you-"

Hina was cut off when she felt his hands pulled her closer to him, taking her to his arms. She felt his head rested against her shoulder and the palm of his hands at her back. She didn't know what she should do so she just stood there like a rock. It was too sudden and she was still trying to comprehend everything.

Hina felt him inhaled deeply first before he spoke.

"I didn't really have the courage to make a move before.. but right now I'm doing it.. I just hope it's not too late yet"


	5. Chapter 5

 

"I didn't really have the courage to make a move before.. but right now I'm doing it.. I just hope it's not too late yet"

Hina pulled herself away and stared at him as if she heard the most ridiculous words ever. Eyes wide open, mouth slightly agape and body trembling due to the cold wind hitting on her face.

"Stop joking. It's not funny" Hina muttered, eyes narrowing.

In return, Jaemin looked taken aback.

"You should stop being like this. It's getting out of hand already" Hina continued. There were some things that she wanted to say but she clamped her mouth shut instead. How can he be like that especially when he was with another girl awhile ago? Hina thought. She noted that she sounded so frustrated and so to ease the awkwardness in the situation, she let out an awkward laugh.

She took a few more steps away from him, ready to leave when Jaemin cut her off. "Jeno.. The boy awhile ago. Do you like him?"

Hina turned around to look at him again and blinked a couple of times. "Why do you want to know?"

Jaemin sighed. "Are you dating him?"

Hina starts to feel more frustrated. "Seriously, Jaemin why are you being like this? It's not your business if I'm dating him or not. What about you? Did I ask you about the girl you were with awhile ago?"

"If you're talking about Rena. We have nothing. She's only a friend"

 _A friend? Being all that clingy?_ She wanted to scoff but stopped herself from doing so Hina only stared at him.

"How about you? You didn't answer my question yet". Jaemin's voice sounded like he was whining which made Hina almost smile. She was still trying her best to flash her poker face as much as possible. Smiling would mean she lost this battle that only exists in her mind.

"Jeno's a good friend" Hina answered. She swore she saw him smile after she said that, it was just a small smile and almost invincible.

"Can I ask you something?" Jaemin spoke, his hands were inside his pockets. Hina didn't answer but he continued anyway. Somehow, the question made her feel a bit nervous. "What do you think of me?"

Hina felt unsure how to answer the tricky question. They stared at each other's eyes for a moment until Hina eyes wander around awkwardly, breaking the eye contact. "What do you mean?"

"I like you, Hina. Do you like me too?"

She feels taken aback by that. Jaemin was too straightforward. It felt like getting hit by a truck all of a sudden.

Of all the places, he decided to confess in front of the building of her dormitory, at the side of the busy street of Seoul. And if this isn't the most ridiculous place to confess to someone then Hina doesn't know anymore.

The two of them kept silent. Several people walking passed by them but they were too engrossed in their own little world that they didn't care about everything anymore.

She tried to recall the past. How did she even like him? Sure, because he was really good-looking that most girls in their school liked him but as time passed, she realized that Jaemin's personality is just as perfect as he looks.

Hina tried to think of the possible best answer.

 _"Of course! I like you"_ No. She would look too desperate.

 _"When did I ever stopped liking you?"_ Ridiculous, she thought.

"I used to like you.." She mumbled, almost too quiet that she doubt he would hear.

Unfortunately, it seemed that Jaemin heard her clearly. "How about now?" He asked, his face looked hopeful.

Hina has to bite the insides of her cheeks to prevent herself from smiling. Instead of uttering some words, Hina's eyes met his and flashed a small smile before nodding her head.

"Then what do you think about dating me?"

She took in Jaemin's question inside her head although her mind was still spinning in confusion. Jaemin's the only one who can make her heart skip a beat and make her legs feel weak at the sight of him. How can she even say no to him?

She isn't sure if it would be the right decision but she liked him, and that should be enough as her excuse.

Hina bit her lip first before she spoke. "Let's try"

And Jaemin's thin lips slowly curved into a smile.

 

 

 

 

"What did you say!?"

Hina could only imagine the face of her friend Herin. That same evening after she and Jaemin parted ways, she immediately told Herin about what happened.

"How can this all happen when I'm not around?" The girl on the other line whined. Hina laughed.

"But hey, at least you are the first person to know this. And by that, I want you to keep this as a secret for now"

She heard Herin sighed. "Why not? The girls will be thrilled!!"

Hina shook her head. The thought of her school friends finding out about their relationship isn't a good idea for now. "They don't need to know"

"That's ridiculous!" Herin exclaimed. "But of course, you'd be protective of your boyfriend since he's gorgeous and everyone might steal him from you so alright, I'll keep my mouth shut"

In return, she scoffed.

"Anyway. I'll go to sleep now" Herin said over the phone. "And you should too! Stop thinking about your boyfriend or he won't be able to sleep tonight too"

"Shut up" Hina said with a smile. "I'm not thinking of him! Anyway, good night and I'll see you soon!"

She hung up the call and placed her phone on her table. Hina rested her chin on her folded arms on the table while listening to some songs on her phone. She wasn't actually paying attention to the song playing but rather thinking about what just happened awhile ago.

She couldn't help but to feel excited for the following days. The thought of having Jaemin as her boyfriend is just enough to make her feel like there's butterflies inside her stomach.

That night Hina had a peaceful sleep. The next morning, she decided to clean their room. It was Sunday and she already finished the things she needed so there was nothing much to do.  After doing so, she checked her phone only to see a message from Jaemin that was sent two hours ago. It was just a simple 'Good Morning' and yet Hina felt like her heart was going to explode.

Being in a relationship for the first time, Hina wasn't really sure how to act towards him. She didn't want to look clingy and would like to keep their relationship in private as much as possible.

 

She hurriedly typed a morning greetings for him. A moment later, he replied with a cute puppy sticker nodding its head. Hina thought it was cute.

Hina was about to put her phone back to the table and resume cleaning the room when it suddenly vibrated. His name appeared on the screen, calling her.

Somehow, she felt nervous but doesn't know why. She bit her lip and walked around the room, holding her phone first before answering the call.

"Hey… Hello" Hina wanted to smack herself for being so awkward.

She heard him chuckle before he spoke. "What are you doing?"

"Just cleaning" She answered. "How about you?"

"Nothing, actually" He answered. "Do you have plans today after cleaning?"

Hina looked around the room. Actually, the room doesn't really looked like it needed some cleaning. "After this? There's nothing"

"Great" He replied. "Let's meet today"

"Ehhh? Today?" She was sure taken aback.

Jaemin's voice sounded surprised. "Oh? You're not free today?"

She shook her head. "Ah, no, actually I'm free"

"That's great then. We should go on a date today"

Hina's lips pursed into a thin line, preventing herself from giggling. Just the thought of going on a date with Jaemin is too much.

"So I'll see you later? Maybe 3 in the afternoon?" Jaemin inquired.

She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was 11 o'clock so she have more time to prepare. "Yeah, sure"

"I'll pick you up"

Hina decided to go on a white long-sleeved polo shirt and a black skirt. She didn't want to be overdressed on her first date so she chose to wear simple clothes instead. She also let her hair down and combed her fringe with her fingers while checking her appearance in front of the mirror.

When she walked out of the building, Jaemin was already there standing while checking his phone. She took a small step closer to him and he looked up when he felt a presence in front of him.

He was wearing a black sweater and black pants. It looked normal but on Jaemin's body, it looked refined. Hina realized that whatever he wears, he'll always looked good. She wanted to sulk.

Jaemin's thin lip curved into a smile at the sight of her. She smiled back at him.

"Where should we go?" Hina inquired.

His lips pursed for a moment. "I found a small café few walks away from here. Should we try there?"

With no hesitation, Hina nodded.

Before they started walking, Jaemin asked if she wanted to get on a taxi instead of walking but Hina assured him that walking would be fine. In fact, Hina prefers walking especially with someone because there's more opportunity for her to get to know the person she is with. More time to share stories and feelings to each other.

A gentle breeze blew past them as they walked. In some instance, Jaemin would start a conversation like asking her about what does she think about the weather, or which color she prefers. It was just a small talk but there's no feeling of awkwardness. They may know each other for a long time already but Hina felt like there's more things to know about him.

They stopped at a small café near the busy shopping area. There were few more café around but it seemed like it was the most deserted out of all, making the environment calm and quiet. When they entered inside, Jaemin opened the door for her. The café was decorated in a crafty manner, from the table arrangements to the paintings hanging on the wall.

She wasn't really hungry so she settled herself with a strawberry milkshake while he ordered hot chocolate for himself. They also ordered red velvet cakes that was untouched for a moment.

He didn't speak at first. It was just a comfortable silence between them. Hina chose to quietly drink her milkshake while looking around. There was a couple who passed by the café and Hina suddenly blushed at the thought of Jaemin in front of him. Jaemin seemed to noticed her so he asked her if there was something wrong.

She shook her head and smiled. "Nothing"

Jaemin nodded and smiled at her too. "I was curious about something"

Hina looked at him. "What is it?"

"When did you start liking me?"

Hina froze for a moment and Jaemin laughed at her expression.

"I don't remember" She lied.

Jaemin shook his head, not buying her answer. "Come on, I want to know"

Hina sighed in defeat before she answered. "It was during our first year when I saw you standing in front of your classroom with Donghyuck. My friends saw you and they said you're handsome"

"Eh? Just your friends?" Jaemin asked. "How about you? What did you think of me?"

"I think…." She paused, looking at him."I think you're fine"

"Just fine?" Jaemin asked again, his voice sounded like he was disappointed.

Hina chuckled and continued. "But it's true. You're good in studying and sports"

He shook his head. "Still not the answer that I was expecting. Didn't you like me because I was charming?" He spoke with a smirk.

She made a face, pretending to disagree.

"But really. You really liked me! You would always buy a custard bun for me because you knew I liked it" Jaemin retorted.

Hina almost choked on her milkshake. How could he brought that topic up? She realized she must be a hopeless lovesick puppy in his eyes before. Hina was so embarrassed that she wanted to dug her own grave.  

"Aren't you gonna ask me when did I start liking you?" Jaemin inquired, looking at her with a smile plastered on his face.

Hina asked herself. _Does she want to know?_

In the end, Hina nodded her head.

Jaemin straightened his body from his chair before he spoke. "Actually, I don’t know too. When you started giving me the custard bun, greeting me and trying to get my attention with your friends, I never paid attention to those"

Hina nodded in agreement. Sure how can he even noticed her? There were lots of girls chasing after him aside from her.

"But when you stopped doing all those things, I started to feel something. It’s like I was starting to miss all those things" He continued. "You just stopped everything all of a sudden. Stopped giving me buns, the messages and even stopped talking to me. I started to wonder why did you stop but then I realized it was all my fault"

Hina didn't know what to say so she remained silent.

"I thought that maybe you got sick of me already that's why you stopped talking to me, and that made me feel hurt" Jaemin paused, a soft smile curved into his lips before he continued. "It might sound crazy but yeah, that's how I felt. I missed you"

Hina kept quiet, sipping her milkshake while he continued.

"You were really cute though" Jaemin said with a teasing smile.

Hina raised her eyebrow. "I've always been cute"

The two of them giggled.

"But I was almost over you!" Hina retorted. "Did you chose to study in Seoul University because of me?

Jaemin shook his head. "Of course not! I just didn't want to leave Korea that's why I chose to be here"

Hina nodded in agreement. Choosing to study here than abroad because of a girl would be too unrealistic already.

"But I can't deny that you were part of the reason why I chose to study here too" Jaemin added. "Just a small part, okay. I don't want you to feel bad about it"

She sighed in relief. "It would be too stupid for you to study here because of me"

"Isn't that what they call fate, though? Who would've thought that we'll be attending the same school?" Jaemin muttered with a smile.

In response, she nodded her head. She suddenly remember the time after the graduation party they had. She recalled that Jaemin seemed like he wanted to say something to her but wasn't able to because she left already. Today might be the right time to ask him that.

"Do you remember after the graduation party, we met in front of the building and you wanted to say something to me?" Hina asked.

Jaemin looked like he was trying to recall first before he spoke. "I remember that"

"What did you want to say at that time?" Hina pressed while taking a small bite of her cake.

"That I like you" Jaemin snapped casually, making Hina stopped eating the cake. "Every time that I try to approach you before, you would just avoid me"

Hina looked down, feeling a pang of guilt inside.

"I was never good at expressing my feelings to someone so it was really hard for me" He mumbled, his hands brushing on the sides of his cup.

She rested a hand on the table before she spoke. "Then it's a relief now. You were even brave enough to confess!"

Jaemin rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

In return, Hina smiled at him. She was about to take another sip of her milkshake when she felt his hand held her hand that was resting on the table. It was a small gesture yet she felt her heart swelled with nothing but love.

She looked at his hand that was still holding her hand before looking up to meet his eyes. Jaemin smiled at her, his smile has always been his best asset. The smile that could bring her to a state of bliss. She couldn't help but to want him to smile just to her. It was too precious for everyone to see.

They both smiled to each other, and Hina doesn't know when she liked Jaemin the most anymore.

 

 


	6. Final Chapter Pt. 1

Hina found herself standing in the study area of the university's library. Thankfully, the library wasn't packed and there were a lot of open tables. As she entered inside, her gaze wandered around until she caught sight of the familiar figure she had been looking. She walked over to the table and just stood there for a moment.

Jaemin looked up and Hina flashed a smile to him. He smiled as well and gestured her to sit beside him by pulling a chair closer to him.

"How was your class?" Jaemin inquired.

She set her backpack down first before she answered him with a sigh. "It was crazy. I think I need to revise my script"

Apparently, the script she passed wasn't good enough in her professor's liking so she have to tweak some things on it to pass the standards of her professor. Just the thought of revising the paper stressed her out already.

Jaemin seemed to noticed how wearily she answered. "Are you alright?"

Hina assured him with a slight smile. "I'll be alright".

She pulled out her laptop from her bag and began working on her script. Finals were about to start in less than a week. The two of them worked in complete silence for at least thirty minutes until Jaemin excused himself. Hina was too occupied with her work that she didn't ask where he was going and only assumed that he went to the comfort room.

Moments later, Jaemin came back with a coffee on one hand and a small paper bag on his other hand. He placed the coffee and the paper bag on the table closer to her.

Confused, Hina looked at the coffee and paper bag before looking back at him. "What's that?"

"I've been watching you for the whole time and you looked really stressed. I hope that could help" Jaemin said with a grin.

She carefully took the paper bag on the table and took a good look of what was inside. There were some brownies and muffins. Hina looked at Jaemin who was looking at her with a grin. She couldn't help but to smile realizing how caring her boyfriend was. Surely, it made her fall in love with him even more.

"You don't really have to but thanks anyway. I really appreciate it" Hina said with a smile. She placed the paper bag next to her laptop and took the coffee.

"Anything for my girl" Jaemin winked and Hina scoffed jokingly.

It's been almost three months since they started going out. And if it's possible to fall in love all over again to the same person, Hina would say so. Their subjects were different so there wasn't much chance for them to meet. The usual dates would either be at the nearest café from the university, or school library. Both are really dedicated in their studies so she was thankful that Jaemin was fine with that.

Sometime around the end of semester, Hina accidentally met Jeno in one of university's cafeteria. Jeno was with his friends when they eyes coincidentally met. Hina raised one of her hand and gave him a small wave while Jeno flashed his signature eye smile that could probably melt an iceberg. He excused himself from his friends and walked towards Hina.

"What's up?" Jeno asked, pulling a chair to sit beside her.

"I haven't seen you in like, ages?" Hina said and adjusted her chair to face him.

Jeno, who was still smiling shook his head lightly. "You're exaggerating but it seems like it. How have you been?"

"Good, I guess. Just pretty busy lately but I'm catching up"

He gave her a nod and his gaze landed to his friends that he left for a moment. Hina followed his gaze and saw his friends. Apparently, they've been watching the two for the whole time and giving Jeno a cheeky grin.

"Don't mind them" Jeno snapped, causing her to look back at him. "They're just like that sometimes"

"No problem" Hina quickly assured the latter.

"So I heard something" Jeno began. "From Mark hyung, actually"

Hina's eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

"About you, and Jaemin" He answered. and scanned Hina thoroughly, expecting for an answer.

Hina rubbed her nape shyly, looking all flustered. If Mark and Jeno already knew the news, for sure the others knew it already too. She reminded herself to scold Jaemin later for telling the others.

As Jeno waited for an answer, Hina was about to speak when her gaze landed to her boyfriend who was walking towards them. Little did she knew that Jeno's gaze followed her and watched Jaemin as he walked towards the two of them. When he reached them, Jaemin's hand rested on Hina's shoulder. In return, Hina gave him a small smile.

There was an amused grin plastered on Jeno's face while watching the two.

"So, got any plans after the finals?" Jeno asked suddenly.

Hina was confused, but answered anyway. "Actually, I'm going home after this semester for a short vacation. My parents misses me"

He hummed in agreement before he spoke. "Ah, too bad. I was going to ask you to hang out with me "

Still confused, Hina looked at Jeno in bewilderment. In return, Jeno grinned at her like a kid. She realized then that he was trying to make Jaemin jealous so she cleared her throat and signalled him to leave. Fortunately, Jeno got the signal and excused himself with a grin plastered on his face. And again, Hina reminded herself to kill Jeno as soon as she meet him again.

When he was far enough, Jaemin spoke. "Have you eaten?"

Hina was slightly stunned since it wasn't the question she was expecting him to ask but she nodded anyway. "I have eaten already. I'm just waiting for Jungyeon"

Jaemin nodded and sat on the chair where Jeno sat before. She was expecting him to ask about Jeno but he still didn't so she just looked at him. Quietly, he took her small hand and intertwined their fingers. Hina realized that they're not even trying to be discreet about their relationship anymore.

She also realized that it's always him who would come to their faculty building to meet her, or sometimes would wait in front of her classroom just so they can go out or go home together.

"You don't have to come here for me every day, you know. For a change, why don't you let me come to you instead?" Hina asked, her eyes looked hopeful while looking at him.

Jaemin stared at her, blinking a couple of times as if he heard her wrong. "You don't want it?"

She shook her head aggressively. "That's not it. I just feel like I'm not making any effort at all"

He paused for a second, then ruffled her hair. "Silly. Don't think too much. And I don't think it's a good idea"

"Not a good idea?" Hina asked while her eyebrows furrowed.

Jaemin nodded in agreement before he spoke. "There are lots of male students in our faculty. I don't want them to lay their eyes on you"

Hina tried to make a straight face but ended up bursting in laughter. And again, Jaemin was staring at her as if what he just said was wrong, well for her it was. "Seriously, how can you deliver such cheesy lines while looking serious?"

"Hey. I wasn't trying to be cheesy there! I was just stating the fact" Jaemin whined in disappointment. "And I can't believe you ruined that moment"

Feeling guilty, she took Jaemin's hand and held it with both of her hands, massaging it softly. "I'm sorry about that"

Jaemin rolled his eyes, but didn't try to hide his smile.

"Aren't you going to ask me about Jeno?" Hina asked curiously.

Jaemin gave her a look, unsure what she was referring to.

"About what Jeno did awhile ago. Aren’t you jealous?"

In return, Jaemin shook his head reflexively. "None of that matters. You already have me. Why would you cheat on me?"

And it was Hina's turn to roll her eyes.

 

On the last day of classes before the school break, the hallways were filled with students excitedly chatting about planned trips and parties.

As soon as her last class was over, Hina immediately said her goodbye to her school friend Jungyeon since they won't be meeting each other for the time being. As expected, when she stepped outside the classroom, Jaemin was already waiting for her with his grey backpack slung on his shoulder. She approached him with a smile and Jaemin instinctively took her bag. It was already a routine. At first, Hina would always tell him that she can carry her own bag but Jaemin would insist. He would always flash that puppy eyes, leaving her with no other option but to let him carry her bag.

As they walked, Hina told him that she was able to get a high score in her script. While she was talking, she didn't even realized that he was smiling throughout the time she was talking about how her day was.

Hina's eyebrow cocked in confusion after noticing that he has been quiet since they started walking. "Is there something wrong?"

They reached the front gate of the university. Jaemin looked at her before he spoke. "Nothing actually. I just realized I won't be able to see you starting the day after tomorrow"

She pressed her lips together, feeling bad for going back to her hometown early. Unfortunately, she'll be going back to their hometown tomorrow while Jaemin will be staying in Seoul to help his mother in their restaurant so there wasn't much time for them to spend before she leave.

Jaemin glanced at her and noticed she went quiet. "But hey, this is the reason why mobile phones and WiFi were created!"

Hina looked up and flashed a small smile. If only she didn't inform her parents that she'll be going home the next day, she could be able to spend another day in Seoul.

"Just don't miss me" Jaemin said huskily, pulling her closer to him as he rested his arm on her shoulder. Hina, in return, lightly punched him.

When she got back inside her dorm, she immediately packed all the things she needed. Once she was done, Hina checked her phone immediately and called her parents to inform them that everything has been done. It's been months since she last saw her parents and they couldn't visit her because of their work so she's been looking forward to go back home.

The following day Hina woke up earlier than her roommate Myungeun who was still fast asleep. She decided on making miso soup for their breakfast. Moments later, Myungeun woke up with the smell of the soup.

"I'll miss you" Myungeun declared as she shoved a spoonful of rice and soup on her mouth.

Hina chuckled at the latter. "It's just two weeks. Don't be so dramatic"

"But still! I'll be alone here for the entire break"

"Don't worry. I'll just buy you souvenirs"

The two continued to eat their breakfast happily. Once she was done, she immediately called Jaemin who told her that he'll be taking her to the meeting place where she'll meet her parents. Carrying two travel bags, she bid farewell to her roommate first before making her way down. When she stepped outside, Jaemin was already waiting for her.

"I told you I'll be fine, you know" Hina said as soon as Jaemin handed her a paper bag before taking the travel bags from her. Jaemin, in response, just rolled his eyes making Hina sigh in defeat. "And what's this?" She asked, holding the paper he just gave her.

"Some takoyaki that my mom made" Jaemin answered, smiling at her sweetly.

"No way" Hina muttered, looking at him as if she couldn’t believe him. "Takoyaki's one of my favorite!"

"Figures" He snapped. The two walked happily until they reached the convenience store where her parents will pick her up. To kill some time while waiting, the two talked about the things they don't know about each other yet. Hina then remembered the picture of the girl on Jaemin's phone wallpaper before when she met him on the bus. After asking him that, Jaemin's paused first before answering. "It's Tiffany of SNSD"

"Ah" Hina spat.

Jaemin laughed and gave her an amused face. "Why? Are you jealous?"

"No way" She retorted back.

"It's fair though. You had Eunhyuk as your phone wallpaper before and I have Tiffany"

Hina just chuckled. She realized then that they don't have picture together so she pulled out her phone from her pocket and opened the camera. "Let's take a picture"

She raised her arm but struggled to get the right angle so Jaemin took the phone from her. Hina leaned closer to him before he snapped the pictures. Once done, Jaemin opened her Kakaotalk and sent the pictures to his name. He handed the phone to her afterwards.

"You really have to send it right away" It wasn't a question but Jaemin answered.

"You might forget to send it"

Hina smiled and checked the photos. There was nothing really special about the photos but they looked cute and his smile was lovely. Ah, the smile that could bring world peace.

"Stop looking at it or you'll fall in love even harder" Jaemin snapped, looking at her.

She playfully hit his shoulder before putting her phone back to her pocket. The two were interrupted when a black car stopped in front of the convenience store. Hina stood up to check if it was her parents or just a similar car when her mother got out of the car. Her dad followed behind.

The two walked out of the store to welcome her parents. When they finally meet, Hina immediately pulled her mother into a hug.

"I missed you" Hina said to her mother. When she looked up to see her father, she also gave him a hug. "And you too, dad"

When she pulled out from the hug, her parents looked at her first before moving their gaze to Jaemin who was standing awkwardly in front of them.

"Who is he?" Hina's mom asked, looking at the two of them with a slight smile.

Hina glaced at Jaemin who was still standing beside her. His handsome face couldn't hide his nervousness. She never had a boyfriend before so her parents must be surprised that she's in front of them now with her supposedly boyfriend. There's no way that she would deny him as her boyfriend so she held his hand and spoke.

"Mom, Dad, He's Jaemin. My boyfriend" She looked over at Jaemin again, and both exchanged relieved glances.

Unlike her mother who was smiling brightly, her father looked like he just heard a bad news, well it may be a bad news for him.

"Hello, Mrs. and Mr. Gong. I'm Jaemin.." Jaemin spoke with a bow, carefully choosing his words. "Hina's boyfriend"

Her parents bowed as well, but her father still looked confused. When her mother glanced at her husband, she knew that he wasn't happy with the thought of his only daughter finally dating someone. "Ah, we should get going. We'll see you next time"

Jaemin gave them again a small bow before giving the bags to her father. While her parents were busy putting her belongings on the car trunk, Hina took the time to say her good bye to him.

"I thought you wouldn't introduce me" Jaemin muttered under his breath. "Your father doesn't look happy"

Hina smiled at him. "Don't think too much. He's just like that sometimes but he's really kind"

Jaemin nodded thoughtfully. "I really hope so"

"Anyway, I have to leave now" Hina said with a slight pout, patting Jaemin on the back.

Instead of the typical goodbye hugs or kisses, the two settled with Jaemin softly pinching her cheek. She looked back and waved a hand to him before getting inside the car. She sat at the back while her parents were seated at the front. When his father started the car, Hina tried to change the attention by telling her parents about what happened during the semester. She was careful enough not to bring up the topic about Jaemin until her mother decided to cut her off and ask about him.

"He looked familiar but I'm not sure where did I saw him" Her mother noted.

Hina contemplated whether to tell them that they actually attended the same school before but did anyway. "Actually, he was my classmate before. He ranked first in school"

From the mirror, Hina saw her mother's face lit up. "Ah! I knew I have seen that face before. He's not only handsome but smart too"

Hina could only smile proudly.

"You just entered college not long ago, Hina. How come you have a boyfriend already?" Hina's father spoke. He was looking ahead at the road. Thankfully, he didn't sounded mad at all. "You should concentrate on your studies first"

Mrs. Gong glared at her husband. "Hina's doing really well in school! And it's not like your daughter is just going around dating everyone"

Hina tried to speak but was stopped when her father spoke.

"It's not like that. I'm just saying that she should focus on school first"

"You make it look like she's not focusing on her studies when in fact she's doing really well"

"She can date later but not for now"

"And when do you plan on allowing her to date? When she's fifty years old?"

"Not like that but she should graduate first before dating"

Hina could only watch as her parents continued to bicker throughout the entire trip way back home. She looked over to her side and saw the Takoyaki that his mother made for her. Her lips curved into a smile as she pulled out her phone and thanked Jaemin again.

They eventually made it to their home. As expected, her parents acted as if they never had an argument awhile ago. Hina felt really good to be back home. With the help of her father, they carried her stuff up to her room. Nothing much have changed except for the lace white curtain on the window. Her books on her study table looked untouched for a very long time. It was still the light pink room that belonged to her since she was young.

While her mother was busy preparing dinner, Hina took the time to unpack her stuff and put some of her clothes on the dresser. After doing so, she pulled out her phone and informed her friend Herin that she's already back. They immediately agreed to meet very soon. She also called Jaemin to let him know that they arrived safely.

Dinner was normal. Just like before, they would discuss things while having dinner. Still, Hina was careful not bringing up the topic about Jaemin. She didn't want to see her parents bicker again.

As much as possible, Hina made sure that she will get to spend more time with her parents so she rarely checked her phone. At morning, she would accompany her mother at the local supermarket. She would always go to the garage to watch as his father wash their car.

The following days was uneventful. One night, Hina decided to call Jaemin. She wasn't sure if it was the right time to call because he may be busy but thankfully, Jaemin assured her that he wasn't doing anything in particular.

"I think I'm starting to miss you" Jaemin began. "You rarely reply to my messages and won't even let me call you"

"I'm sorry" Hina sighed. "You know I'm trying to spend more time with my parents and you know that my father doesn't really approve of our relationship yet"

The line went silent for a second until Jaemin burst into laughter. "Hey, I was just kidding! You don't have to take it seriously, but I really miss you"

Hina scoffed. She could only imagine his cheeky smile. "Me too. I miss you"

"So how are things going there?" He inquired.

She looked around her room first before answering. "It's good. They seemed to really-"

Hina was cut off when the door opened, revealing her father. "Hina, dinner's ready"

With her phone still on her ear, she internally cursed herself for not locking the door. Her dad was still waiting for her so she had to find a way to end the call.

"Ah, Herin, really?" Hina spoke loudly.

Jaemin, on the other line, kept quiet and continued to listen with a smile on his face.

"I'll call you later, Herin" She spoke again, making sure to emphasize the name "Herin" so her dad would believe her before pressing the end button of the call. She immediately got up on her bed and walked towards her father who was still holding the door knob, waiting for her.

"Herin, really" Mr. Gong said with an amused smile. "You should've thought of other reasons"

"Were you eavesdropping?" Hina muttered in shock. In fact, Hina was never a good liar. She was like an open book as how her friends would describe her. Easy to read.

"The walls are thin" Her dad simply answered.

"And you should knock on the door first!" Hina spat. His father left right after and she was left on her room spacing out.

 

It was a pleasant one Sunday afternoon. The skies were bright and clear. After going to the local supermarket with her mother, they went inside the house and unloaded the groceries.

"Are we holding a feast or something?" Hina spoke after setting out the groceries. It was too much for just three person, she noted. Her mother did not answer and just quietly prepared the food for lunch while her father was busy watching TV.

The three of them worked in silence for a few minutes before they heard the doorbell rang. Hina gave her parents a look first before walking towards the door to answer it. As far as she knew, they weren't expecting any visitors.

Hina yanked the door opened - and there he was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 will be the continuation so it will be shorter than my normal update. ❤  
> Before anything else, thank you everyone especially to those who shared this story on twitter :)
> 
> Got any questions? Leave it here:   
> curiouscat.me/unbelvisoo


	7. Final Chapter Pt. 2

"When did you arrive?" Hina asked Jaemin as soon as they sat on the sofa. The two sat beside each other while her father was still sitting across them. She was still stunned at the fact that her boyfriend is right in front of her when he was supposed to be away.

"Last night" He replied simply, setting down the basket of fruits he brought with him on the table. Hina looked at him in confusion. She remembered they did talk last night through the phone but he never mentioned going back to their hometown.

"But you said you were with your friends last night?"

Jaemin bit his bottom lip and glanced at her father. "Let's just say that I lied"

In return, Hina glared at him.

"Ah, Jaemin.. You didn't have to bring something" Hina's mother said enthusiastically, walking towards the three of them at the living room. "But I'm glad you arrived"

"Thank you for inviting me, Mrs. Gong" Jaemin answered with a smile.

Hina looked more confused than before. "Mom invited you?"

He looked guilty but managed to answer anyway. "She did. A few days ago"

Hina glared at her mother who was still smiling from ear-to-ear. How could they plan something without her knowing? She thought. "How about you, dad? Do you know about this?"

Her father shook his head. "It was your mother's idea" He snapped, his gaze not leaving the TV screen.

In the end, Hina could only sigh.

Jaemin joined them for lunch. Hina then realized that the reason why her mother prepared so much meal than the usual was because he was coming. Mrs. Gong kept on asking him questions and Hina felt bad because the poor boy couldn't even finish swallowing the food on his mouth. When they were done, Jaemin volunteered to do the dishes despite her parent's protest. In the end, Hina joined him.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this" Hina muttered, glaring at him. The two were standing side by side.

"It's not going to be fun if I told you" He replied with a grin. In fact, she wasn't really mad but just surprised at how they could pull off such thing without her knowledge.

As they continued to wash the dishes in silence, Jaemin would teasingly grab one of her hand, making it held hand with his. Hina looked over to her back to see if her parents were watching before playfully pushing him away. Despite that, he was still trying to get a hold of her hand. In the end, the two of them bursts into laughter.

"If you two will continue with your lovey-dovey, you won't be able to finish the dishes" Mrs. Gong spoke with a teasing smile plastered on her face. "Just kidding but I need to borrow your boyfriend for a moment"

The two of them looked at each other before he washed his hand and followed her mother behind. When both of them were gone, Hina immediately washed the dishes so she could see where her mother is taking him.

She found him sitting on the sofa at the living room, talking to his father. She hid behind the walls, watching them when her mother walk past her. "Mom. What are they talking about?"

"I don't know too" Her mother answered simply.

"And why didn't you tell me about this little plan of yours?" Hina spoke, crossing her arms. "You should've told me. I feel bad for him"

"Why would you even worry?" Her mother answered back.

She didn't answer anymore and decided to join Jaemin and her dad in the living room. When she looked at him, she noticed that he looked nervous.

"Ah, just in time" Her father declared. "I was just talking to Jaemin"

Hina faked a smile as if she didn't know what was happening and nodded. She sat beside Jaemin and gave him an assuring smile.

"Hina, I'm giving you the permission to date him but you have to make sure that you are going to maintain your grades in the following semester"

Hina looked up, surprised at her father's words. Not that she didn't expect it but why would her parents not let her date someone like Jaemin anyway? Not sure what else to do, she nodded obediently.

"And I have talked to him about this too. You two need to graduate as well" Mrs. Gong added.

Both Hina and Jaemin exchanged glances and their lips automatically formed a smile.

After the lunch and the small talk, Hina decided to give him a small tour inside their house, mainly her room. She entered her room first before him, making sure to clean the mess before he see. Hina looked at him intently when he entered inside to read his thought through his expression.

"That's cute" Jaemin said, pointing the cat stuffed toy on her bed.

Hina smiled. "Actually, there isn't much to look at here and it's not that big"

He shook his head. "I think your room is bigger than mine"

She hummed in response. As for his room, she could only imagine about it for now.

"Next time I'll take you to our house" Jaemin spoke suddenly as if he read her mind. "I should introduce you to my father as well"

"You want to introduce me to your dad?" She asked. The thought of meeting his father sent chills down to her spine. Thankfully, she already met his mother.

Jaemin looked at her as if he couldn't believe her. "Of course! You're my girlfriend"

Hina looked away, biting her lip, preventing herself from smiling too much. While Jaemin's looking around, Hina was still trying to let the thought of Jaemin being inside her room sink into her mind.

They spent the rest of the day talking about their childhood days inside her room. It was like the two of them getting to know each other all over again. Hina realized that there's more that they don't know about each other yet.

Time passed so fast and both of them didn't even realized that it was almost evening when her mother went up to her room to check if he'd like to stay for dinner. Jaemin politely declined the offer since he already told his father that he'll be having dinner at home.

Jaemin bid farewell to her parents and he looked at ease than before. It Hina offered to walk him to the bus stop.

"So what did you and my father talked about by the way?" Hina began as they walk outside the house.

"It's supposed to be a secret" Jaemin replied.

"Wow. Now you're keeping secrets from me" Hina shook her head, pretending to be dissapointed. "It's not like I want to know anyway"

Jaemin let out a small laugh before pulling her closer to him and resting an arm over her shoulder, taking advantage of their height difference. He was much taller than her anyway.

"I was a bit scared today" Jaemin spoke suddenly. Hina looked at him, expecting to continue so he did. "but getting your father's approval was easier than what I have expected"

Hina chuckled at his statement. "I told you, he's not that bad. He's probably overreacting because it was the first time I have introduced a guy to them"

"What an honour" He replied with a smirk and Hina gently hit him.

As they reached their destination, the two knew well that it was time for them to separate for now.

"So I guess I'll see you next week" Jaemin spoke, grinning. "I'm going to spend the rest of the night here with my dad and I'll be back in Seoul tomorrow"

Hina hummed in agreement. "Yeah, I'll be back in Seoul next week, or I might ask them to send me back there earlier since there's nothing much to do in the house"

He nodded. "Will you be alright going back alone?"

"Eh? Of course I will. It's not like it's my first time going home alone. It's not that far for a walk too"

Jaemin nodded thoughtfully. "I guess I'm going now"

She nodded and was about to leave when she realized there was something that she wanted to do before they part ways. It's been on her mind the moment they started dating and thought that this might be the right time to do so.

"Why? Is there something you forgot?" Jaemin inquired, looking at her in confusion.

"Well, actually, there's something that I've always wanted to do"

His eyebrow cocked. "What is it?"

Hina smiled as she slid a hand behind his neck and leaned in to meet his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually, this story was unplanned! My initial plan was just a one shot story.
> 
> I just got into the fandom (NCTzen) last December and Nana wasn't my first bias from NCT Dream but during GO promotions, he skyrocketed to my heart (LOL!) and I found out about Hina after seeing a photo of them together during MMC. They were so cute so I started watching MMC and began searching for fics of them but there were just like two fics of them. That's the moment I realize I need to write fics of them and that's how I ended up writing one. LOL!
> 
> I love both Jaemin and Hina and I support whatever they do and I also understand those people who doesn't ship them. I'm not a delusional shipper anyway but I just feel like the world needs more JaeHina fics and I truly enjoyed writing this! ❤
> 
> Lastly, thank you for reading this! I was so surprised that the story reached more than 500 view count already! I also enjoy reading your comments and I would be more than happy to see more so that I can know what your thoughts about this and what I need to improve in my writing.
> 
> If you have more question, feel free to ask me here or my twitter, or CC. You can just search my username unbelvisoo.
> 
> Something is coming up soon :)  
> See you next time! ❤


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